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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Time: 3:45 pm
Subject: The Coming Climate Crunch
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    Last spring, the international science weekly, Nature devoted most of its pages to the climate dilemma now facing our planet.  This special issue, entitled "The Coming Climate Crunch" should be required reading for all those concerned with the challenge of global warming.  Included are articles on the difficulty of reducing CO2 emissions, on how we need to quickly reduce greenhouse emissions, on how today's consumption levels of fossil fuels must be reduced, on how even the most stringent targets will be missed, and on some of the worst-case scenarios of inevitable climate deterioration if we do nothing.

    In addition to articles, essays, commentaries, and editorials, this special issue also features an annual book review section dedicated to the climatic theme.  For all readers looking for a succinct update on global problems and solutions to today's dangerous climate situation, this climate special issue of Nature is highly recommended.

 
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Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
Time: 1:30 pm
Subject: The Narsaq Declaration
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The Royal Swedish Academy of Science has released some papers from the Royal Colloquium held in Narsaq, Greenland in the summer of 2007.  This colloquium, held under the patronage of H. M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, brings together scholars from all over the world to tackle some of today's most challenging problems.  The last two colloquia have focused on global climate change, with the 2005 meeting dealing with warming trends in the Arctic, and the 2007 session concentrating on human response to climate change in the past.

"Looking Back to Move Forward" was the theme that 16 international scholars addressed at the conference.  Now, some of the papers have been reprinted in Special Report #14 from Ambio http://ambio.allenpress.com\"> (November, 2008), the environmental journal of the Swedish Academy.

This collection of papers,will not only be of interest to all kinds of environmental scientists, but, will fascinate the archaeologist, historian, and anthropologist as well.  This special report concludes with a plea for the scientific community to communicate better, and more often, with the general public concerning climate change.
 
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Thursday, August 14th, 2008
Time: 11:40 am
Subject: Quantum Philosophy
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After a hiatus of almost two months, I am back on my reading program again.  The major casualty of my self-imposed "break" was Roland Omnes's Quantum Philosophy, which I started to read back in June.  When I first reported on this book, I had just finished the first chapter ("Classical Logic" and this was as far as I got before my summer reading program sputtered to a halt.
I'm back now and I have picked up the Omne book again and I am working my way through part one of four parts.  For those not familiar with Quantum Philosophy, it is the author's contention that the links between philosophy and science have been ruptured and because of this we can no longer be "fully aware of the state, the meaning, and the implications of science" (Omnes,1999:3).  Today, this "fracture, " as he calls it, has made understanding the fundamental sciences impossible for the nonscientist, the layperson, or the nonspecialist.  His remedy is to turn back to the ancient thinkers to discover a path toward understanding and with that knowledge close the philosophical-science divide that now afflicts us. The book's subtitle states the author's ultimate goal: Understanding and Interpreting Contemporary Science.
Part I is entitled, "The Legacy" and it is the one I am currently reading.  Stay tuned.
 
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Saturday, June 28th, 2008
Time: 12:03 pm
Subject: Hello
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I have just begun reading professor Roland Omnes's book entitled Quantum Philosophy  (1999, Princeton University Press).  I came across this book while browsing the "New Books" shelf at my local public library.  I think it was the title that attracted me to it, for I hadn't read any reviews of the book and I was not familiar with the author before now


Hello, before going any further with this blog, I think I should introduce myself.  I'm Bruce, a retired professor of anthropology.  One of the nice things about retirement is that you get, not only a chance to read more, but also the opportunity to read more outside your specific discipline.  This is certainly the case for me in reading the Omnes book.  I was intrigued by the title and I am looking forward to learning more about the author's thesis.  In the weeks that follow.....I would like to say "days" here, but I'm too much of a realist when it comes to my reading and writing habits.....In the weeks to follow I hope to keep a reading log of my progress with the Omne book, as well as other books on my  "To Read" list.  Please join me; you are most welcome.
 
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